Tower of hearts
by moonsongbird.95
Summary: That night Draco Malfoy was meant to kill Albus Dumbledore,Hermione Granger offered to do it for him.And life will never be the same again.HBP,AU,T/M,Please read and review :D
1. The meeting of the stairs

**Hello everyone! This is my first Dramione (and Harry Potter in general) fanfiction and I hope that you enjoy it :) For now will just be posting this as a short story :D Also, I am planning on updating my two other stories at some point in the future (Titanic and Blood Diamond ones) but for now they are on hold, until I get my new laptop (this is my Mum's) in a few weeks!**

**Please read and review, constructive criticism is most welcome :D!**

**Xxx**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing, except the plot ;)**

Draco Malfoy felt sick.

Not the kind of sickness where one wants to throw up, but one where you can't even bring yourself to eat. His appearance had been dishevelled lately, his eyes but a shell of his former self and sallow skin: but it would soon be over. Tonight it would all end.

Tonight, as he washed his face, and put on his clothes, he would kill Albus Dumbledore: he was , he did not want to, however much he despised the wizard: but to kill him? No. He could already hear his words now, whilst he trembled, pointing his wand, and he would say, "Draco, Draco, you are not a killer."

He could already predict it: but if he failed, he would die. His Father would die ( not that he cared).His Mother would die, his beautiful, sweet,Mother, contrary to what Harry Potter thought of her.

Two hours, and it would be over. Prowling, he slipped out of the Slytherin dormitory, and made his way through the common room: he thought the coast was clear, until a voice mumbled.

"Draco? Where are you going?"

Oh, he really could not be dealing with Pansy right now: she would just hold him up, croon over him, and attempt to entice him for a shag. Any other time, he would have said yes, but not now; not for the whole year nearly.

"Away from you," he attempted to smirk in his usual fashion, but she was not buying it.

"Draco," she whispered, "Come on. Don't stress yourself...We can discuss it in...another way," as she moved towards him, touching his chest, with light pokes and prods.

Roughly, he pushed her away: she was confused, to say the least. Although, Draco mused, if he were Pansy, he would be confused as well.

"Fine, be like that," she said, crossly. "But next time you need a fuck, get someone else!"

"Gladly," he snarled, as he pushed open the entrance to the common room, and meandered out of the dungeons.

Click, clack, click, clack, his shoes sounded throughout the corridors'. Hogwarts was abysmally empty tonight, which was unusual. Running a hand through his locks, and kissing the ring that he held so dear from Nacrissa Malfoy, his feet found themselves at the door of Albus Dumbledore's office.

Why did he have to do this?

Hesitantly, he made his way up the steps, after mumbling the password ' pear drops' to the statue very quietly. The boy was turning into a man: wasn't this what he had always wanted? When his Father used to tell him of being a death eater, and how marvellous it was to serve the Dark Lord?

No, a little voice told him, you didn't. You were never given the choice. And he knew that voice, so well...

What would she say if she could see him now? He was glad, really, that she was safe, most likely asleep: unaware of this side to him. A side that she would never see never deserved to see.

He was just about to make his way into the office: he had his wand poised, and could see Dumbledore above him, mumbling loudly to some non-existent , he was eccentric to say the least. He knew he was meant to let the death eaters into Hogwarts, but he had promised Voldermort that he could manage just fine by himself, and he had believed him, thanks to his highly skilled occlumency from his dear Aunt Bellatrix.

However, just as he was about to make his presence known, he was thrown back with a whispered 'Expelliarmus!"

It was then that he saw her: his beloved Hermione Granger, with hair was slung up loosely, yet the wildness still prevalent, as her eyes threatened to cascade into tears: he knew she would not, for her pride was too great, her dignified Gryffindor heart resounding through each vein of her body.

"Draco," she whispered gently, caressing his face. She jolted suddenly, and pulled him back with her, as Dumbledore peered down the stairs. They could hear the fragmented conversation along the lines of "Nothing to worry about...nobody there..."

Draco was breathing loudly, almost on the verge of wheezing and panting.

"Hermione...why are you here?" he squeaked, "How did you know I would-"

"I'm not stupid, Draco," smirked Hermione, she could easily have passed as Malfoy in disguise with a smirk such as that.

"I knew you were up to something, tonight. Don't ask me how I knew; I just...went on instinct I guess. But that's what we Gryffindors' do best, right?" she laughed, hesitantly, and continued, "And then I knew that Harry would not be here, so figured, that something just didn't feel right: so I came up here, and decided to wait and see what would happen."

Draco looked at her, with a confused expression. "Imagine my surprise when you showed up," as she punched him playfully on the shoulder.

He loved her. He loved her, beyond reason, time, space...everything. And he knew it.

"You have to kill him, don't you?" she said painfully, as she snuggled herself against shoulder, whisps of her hair breathing against his pale neck.

"Yes," he choked, tensely. "Hermione...I have to. Or he'll kill me, and my mother, and..."

"Stop," she mumbled.

"You," he finished, biting his lip to hold back his anger. Why did this have to happen?

They were now slumped against the wall, sitting on one of the steps. Draco knew he should have completed the mission by now: Albus Dumbledore should have been dead. But frankly, he preferred holding Hermione in his arms.

"I'll do it," she said, defiantly.

"Do what?" said Draco.

"Kill him. Kill...Dumbledore," she choked.

What? Draco pulled back from her.

"Wha-" she cut him off again, pressing a finger to his lips.

"Hear me out, Draco, please."

He nodded, hesitantly. Had she lost her mind?

"If you kill Dumbledore, everyone will know. The majority will hate you, forever: the son of a death eater, a death eater himself," he flinched at that part, despite knowing its truth, "and after this war is over- believe me, it will end, and Voldermort will not survive- you will most likely die. In Azkaban. Or in battle. And you deserve, a chance, to redeem yourself. To be the good guy for once, and make your own decisions...to love and...Understand," as she kissed him deeply, which he returned, as she continued.

"Understand that I love you. I want to do this, because I love you."

There was a silence for what felt like several hours, and all that could be heard was mumbling from above.

"But, Hermione, you're on Potter's side, however much I hate it," as she smiled at the remark, "and to kill Dumbledore would be a betrayal of him, surely?"

"Harry and I are not the same person. We make our own choices, our own decisions. This is my decision that I want to make, for you."

His eyes softenened. He didn't think it was possible to love a person this much, let alone sacrifice your friends, family, entire life for them. This was what Hermione would do, if she killed Albus Dumbledore.

"And after?" he whispered. "After, you kill him, where would you go? Where would we go?"

"Away," she said simply.

He nodded. They both got themselves up off the cold, stone floor stairs, as she got herself prepared, closing her eyes gently, and taking several sharp intakes of breath.

He turned her around to face him, as her eyes bored into his soul: he felt as though she could see everything, all his secrets, his life, his passions, hopes, dreams...she knew everything, by one look.

"Are you sure?" he checked, one last time. He did not want her to do something that she would regret.

Smiling, she nodded. "I'm sure. Wait for me at the edge of the forbidden forest. After I," she gulped over her words,"get this over, I will meet you there."

"Okay," he said, nervously. She turned to go up the stairs, but not before he pulled her in for a last kiss: a kiss of passion, fire, anger, and every other emotion that he felt was pulled into this concoction, as he ran his hands down her body: if he could, he would shag her, right here, right now, regardless of whether Dumbledore was up above.

After several minutes, they pulled apart, as he breathlessly uttered "I love you, safe."

"I love you too, Draco," she whispered, as she tore herself away, and he watched her tentatively take the steps to kill Albus Dumbledore.

**Dun dun dun! Please review, they mean the world, and I love to hear feedback.**

**Stay blessed**

**Xxxx**


	2. Those days are over

**Chapter 2**

**Hi there again everyone! I hope you enjoyed chapter you for everyone who has read it, and for my review :) I would appreciate a few more reviews for this chapter, because they really motivate me! Thank you :D **

**Please R/R, Constructive criticism is welcome.**

**Xxxx**

Hermione Granger paced herself toward Dumbledore's study, almost so slowly she felt as though she were in a trance like state. Above her, shards of Dumbledore's grey robe were visible, and she could hear another voice: a voice so familiar to her soul, a voice that belonged to a person that she loved so very deeply as her own flesh and blood.

_ Oh God, not Harry. Please, don't let Harry be here_, she prayed to whoever was listening.

"Go and wake Severus," she heard Dumbledore mumble "Tell him what has happened…"

Hermione glanced behind her: there was no turning back now. But this was for Draco, right? This was the sacrifice she would have to make. What was the muggle saying, 'the greatest good for the greatest number?' In future, she knew that this would save both her and Draco's lives, and they would be free to be together.

Of course, she had been irrational, but she could not turn back now. Draco was lurking in a corner, and smiled graciously at her, before giving her a small nod as if to say 'You can do this. Do not be afraid' and closed the door, as he left for the Forbidden forest.

She drew herself up to full height, exalted a fierce expression onto her face, and took an enormous breath.

"Expelliarmus!" she shouted, as she stormed into the room. Dumbledore had what could have been the most painful, but also surprised look on his face she had ever beared witness to, and she knew that she would never forget it for as long as she would live.

But where was Harry?

Maybe he had his invisibility cloak, she thought, absently. Or maybe he's had sent him to get Snape, right?

They were alone, most likely.

"Miss Granger?" Dumbledore spoke, "What brings you here at this hour?"

She started at her Headmaster, attempting to solidify her expression of complete hatred and contempt .However; she knew Dumbledore saw past that.

"Come along, Miss Granger. What is it you are here for?"

She coughed. "I ha- have a job to do," she spoke, shakily.

Dumbledore's expression changed, almost as if he knew what she was there for. But that was impossible, they had been so careful…

"Well, then, you must get on and do it, my dear child," he said, softly.

She stared at Dumbledore, confused. Was he encouraging her to kill him?

"I know," said the headmaster.

And in those words, she knew that he knew: everything. She knew that Dumbledore was aware of her and Draco's relationship; she knew that he was aware of Draco's task, and above all, he was aware that she was there to kill him, and sacrifice herself for the man she felt such benevolence for.

"I understand."

And she knew that Dumbledore was letting her kill him, openly and freely.

"Understand what?" she cried, incoherently.

"This," he simply stated.

Hermione raised her wand.

_Do it for Draco, she thought,_ as tears capsized clumsily down her whitened cheeks.

Suddenly, she felt an intrusion into her mind, as Dumbledore appeared to have sought his way into her thoughts.

A voice whispered into them, that she knew was Dumbledore's voice, and it muttered gently just so she could hear it.

_"Miss Granger, I understand your relationship with Mr Malfoy. You must kill me, Miss Granger. One day, in the not too near distant future, this will all fall into place. But you must be the one to do this. So please, for the benefit of us both get this over with. However, you must act like you hate me, vehemently. I promise that this too, will fall into place someday."_

She nodded, and raised her wand yet again, sneering at Dumbledore, a habit she had learnt from Draco.

"Your days are over, old man," she laughed, as she uttered those fatal words, pointing it directly at Dumbledore.

_I'm sorry,_ she thought. _I'm so sorry._

"Avada Kedavra!"

The green light sharply shot out from the end of her wand, and slammed into Dumbledore directly in his chest. He was forced up into the air as a result of the force, before falling backwards onto the grounds of his beloved Hogwarts.

Hermione was attempting to breathe: she had just killed someone, killed a living, breathing soul, and Albus Dumbledore had been the one to suffer from it.

Briefly, she leant back against the wall: but she knew that there was no time to rest, for the alarm would soon be raised and then nowhere would be safe. The Order would want to capture her, but the Death Eaters would too: the realisation hit her that she was now completely alone in terms of support, except for Draco.

She forcefully opened the door, and ran down the steps as fast as she could without falling over: she had killed Albus Dumbledore, Albus Dumbledore, and Albus Dumbledore….

The castle was relatively quiet and there were few students around: this was excellent for her, as she split open the entrance doors and began to run across the lawn, heading for the forbidden forest, and then they would go onto the gates where she could dissapperate.

She was almost there, and could make out Draco's gleaming blonde hair, his back leaning against one of Hagrid's huge pumpkins: he glanced up, tilted his head, as she ran straight into his arms. He didn't need to ask if she had done it, he could tell by this act of dependency she needed.

"I can't believe I did it, I killed him, Draco, Oh Merlin, I killed him," as she tried biting her lip to prevent her tears capsizing: there was no time to cry now. She was shaking violently, taking vast gasps of air, whilst she clung onto Draco, as though he were her life support.

Draco clasped her hand, and kissed it, gently. This simple act of kindness calmed her down, and she appeared to relax a little, regaining her composure.

"We have to leave. Now," he stated.

She nodded, and they began to walk briskly, however, it appeared that they were no longer alone: standing in front of Hermione was none other than Harry Potter himself. And he gazed at the pair with a hatred Hermione thought he wasn't even capable of, such anger, and such disgust.

"Going somewhere, Hermione?" he snarled, as he raised his wand, shouting " Stup-,"

But he was not quick enough, as Draco flung Hermione behind him, screaming "Crucio!"

Harry withered in pain amongst the grass, thrashing, with horrific screams plunging into the deep night sky, as Hermione desperately attempted to pull Draco away.

"Draco, stop! Stop it, now!"

He snarled at Harry, stabbing his chest with his wand.

"Try and hurt her again Potter, and I'll make you wish you had never been born. Don't even attempt to try and understand this situation, because believe me, your small mind won't be able to handle it. You might be Dumbledore's golden boy, but you certainly aren't mine!" as he prepared to stun him, but not before Harry had a chance to respond.

"How could you, Hermione? He trusted you, I trusted you!" he said, bitterly. "You were my sister…but after tonight, those days are over."

Malfoy glared, and stunned him, as he mumbled "Obliviate," a spell he had been quick to master. He mumbled it so quietly that even Hermione strained to hear it, as she took in a sharp intake of breath, but said nothing, and Harry fell into a state of sedateness.

They stood in silence for a few moments, but then Hermione grabbed Draco's arm, making their way to the edge of Hogwarts. She was silent: Draco knew that she was afraid, afraid of the future, afraid of what was to happen for them both, as she was frantically glancing around at every tree, waiting for someone to pop out and capture her. She would now be the most wanted witch in all of England: and it was all due to Draco Malfoy. As they turned to face the gates of Hogwarts, she threw one last look back over her shoulder, in to the captivating indigo skies: it was time to leave this beloved home.

** There you have it, chapter 2. Hope you all enjoyed it, Please review :D! They are very much appreciated.**

**Xxxx**


	3. Help! ( Author's note)

**Hi everyone,**

**This is not an update, sorry :( **

**I have been struggling with ideas for this story for some time now and had quite bad writer's block. I really want to continue with it,now that I actually have time to write since college is over. If anyone has any suggestions or ideas then I would be incredibly grateful for them, as I do not want to leave this unfinished.**

**Thank you**

**X**


	4. Wanted

**Chapter 3: ****Wanted**

**Hi everyone,**

**First ,I am sorry for the late update, and that I had awful writers' block. But I have a few ideas up my sleeve now ^_^ so watch this space!**

**As always,reviews are very much appreciated. Tell me what you think, and I will respond in due course :P and any ideas or tips then let me know! I would love to hear your ideas if you have any.**

**And Good luck to everyone collecting their AS/ A Level results tomorrow! (I am one of them too, lol) hope you all get what you want :D**

**X**

The air was cold on her chest; it made the throat too tight, and the shivers jitter through each limb. She could see the lights, twinkling overhead, with warm glows emitting from cosy, little houses. And here she was, ostracised by the good and the bad, with only him as a friend, companion, lover, and shoulder to cry on.

The past few months had not been easy for Hermione Granger, to say the least.

* * *

After they apparated away to the most rural place possible, Malfoy had insisted that they leave the country. She disagreed, of course.

"It's not that dangerous, for God's sake Draco," she snapped, as they sat by the quiet stillness of a lake.

He raised his eyebrows, sighing, "Do you want to stay in forests forever? Live off fruit and berries? Like a savage?" as he skimmed a rock into the glowing hues of orange sunset.

Hermione ran her hands through the once silky hair; she had managed to tame it somehow, and now it was all ruined again.

"No. of course not, why do you assume-"

"Then we have to fucking leave, at least until this war is over. And even then we have to be careful, he has people everywhere, even in the middle of Europe. If we aren't careful then…" as he wandered off mid-sentence, his mind filled with vicious thoughts concerning Hermione.

She knew what he was thinking, and slung her arm through his, snuck around his waist, leaning her chin on his shoulder.

"Don't. Don't even think about it," she murmured, whilst kissing his cheek, tenderly.

He turned to face her, and pleaded with her again, "Please, Granger. We have to go, because sooner or later they'll find us… and I don't know if I'll be able to protect you."

She nodded. How could she just run away, and leave everyone she had ever loved? What about her parents, and muggle friends? It was so…hard.

"It feels like I'm a coward," she whispered to Draco, who turned around almost immediately in response, with the reply of, " You aren't a coward. Doing what is necessary doesn't equal cowardice."

She smiled at his response, and sighing in agreement, replied, "Come on. Let's go."

He nodded, and as the peach coloured heavens bathed the earth, they vanished into air; it was as if they had never even existed in that remote corner of the universe.

* * *

That was over 6 months ago now; they didn't stay in one place for too long. Draco didn't like it, and Hermione didn't either in all fairness. There was always this nagging in the back of her mind that someone or something would catch them.

They used a variety of identities; on one occasion, Hermione pretended to be a dentist called 'Heidi Green' and Draco pretended to be a student on a gap year called 'Daniel Martin', as they frequently moved around Europe. Hermione didn't even know where they were right now: Draco told her he felt it was best left that way, until they got somewhere safe enough for them both to freely move.

As the snow touched the soft ground outside the window of the hotel, she turned on her muggle mobile phone. She knew that Voldemort of all people would not even comprehend the concept of tracking a person via mobile phone. They had been staying in the muggle world to keep an extra low profile, and after they apparated away from the lake, Hermione made the decision that they shouldn't use magical transportation as they could be traced. Instead, they now frequented trains, buses, taxis, and planes, meandering through crowds of endless herds to blend in.

Draco even changed his hair colour for extra protection. It was now a light brown, which Hermione thought suited him, even though she secretly missed the platinum blonde. He told her it was another 'necessary' thing as 'bright blonde makes me stick out like a sore thumb'.

Still, it was Christmas now. The first away from Harry, Ron, and her parents. She wondered what they were all doing, closing her eyes and remembering how Harry would sit awkwardly in the corner glancing at Ginny, the twins would play pranks, with the hot strong scent of mulled wine lingering throughout the house, alongside Mrs Weasley playing ' A cauldron full of hot strong love' until the record broke.

Merlin, she missed it. She missed them, but they would hate her now. Even when things were alright again, they would hate her and….

"What's up, Granger?" Draco asked softly, as he walked in the door, lighting up a cigarette: one of his bad habits picked up in the muggle world.

She didn't mind it when he called her Granger. When he called her Hermione it was a life or death situation, aside from that she was always going to be Granger to him.

"Nothing," Hermione answered, "I just…I guess I miss everyone," biting her lip to stop herself from crying.

Draco sighed. "You won't be after you look at what I've found," as he handed her a poster which read;

_WANTED._

_Hermione Jean Granger ( 17 years old, Brown bushy hair, brown eyes, average height) and Draco Lucius Malfoy ( 17 years old, Platinum blonde hair, grey eyes, fairly tall) _

_For the MURDER OF ALBUS DUMBLEDORE._

_LAST SEEN AT HOGWARTS SCHOOL OF WITCHCRAFT AND WIZARDRY IN JULY 1996._

_ANY INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT THE ORDER OF THE PHOENIX. LARGE REWARD IF CAPTURED._

_SIGNED,_

_THE ORDER OF THE PHOENIX, IN COOPERATION WITH THE MINISTRY OF MAGIC AND WIZENGAMOT COURTS._

"Fuck," Hermione said, "But that means…"

Draco nodded. "Harry's got his memory back. And he's out for revenge."

**Hope you all enjoyed! Please let me know what you think :D**

**X**


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